ILLUSIONS OF THE SENSES 



UR senses have been called the " Five Gateways 

 of Knowledge " because all that we know of the 

 world in which we live reaches the mind, either 

 directly or indirectly, through these avenues. 

 From the " ivory palace," in which she dwells apart, and 

 which we call the skull, the mind sends forth her scouts 

 sight, hearing, feeling, taste, and smell bidding them 

 bring in reports of all that is going on around her, and if 

 the information which they furnish should be untrue or 

 distorted, the most dire results might follow. She, there- 

 fore, frequently compares the tale that is told by one with 

 the reports from the others, and in this way it is found that 

 under some conditions these reporters are anything but 

 reliable ; the stories which they tell are often distorted and 

 untrue, and in some cases their tales have no foundation 

 whatever in fact, but are the "unsubstantial fabric of a 

 vision." 



It is, therefore, of the greatest importance to us, that we 

 should find out the points on which these information 

 bearers are most likely to be deceived so that we may 

 guard against the errors into which they would otherwise 

 certainly lead us. 



All the senses are liable to be imposed upon under 

 certain conditions. The senses of taste and of smell are 

 frequently the subject of phantom smells and tastes, which 

 are as vivid as the sensations produced by physical causes 

 acting in the regular way. Even those comparatively new 



149 



